The Spot 080801

By Shane Satterfield

If you haven't figured it out by now, The Spot is GameSpot's letters thingy. Standard operating procedure dictates that you ask questions, and we then comply by answering them. For those who choose not to assimilate, sending in well-written rants is also acceptable. Click here and give us the business. As promised, here's The Spot for the second day in a row. But don't go getting greedy on us.

08/08/2001

Square and Disney Sitting in a Tree...

Hey,

What's up Mr. Satterfield? I've been kind of confused lately about the release date for the Disney-Square (interesting combination, don't you think?) RPG, Kingdom Hearts. The official trailer from Square and Disney states that it will be released in Winter 2001, which is something like late November and December of this year. But then GameSpot and some other sources say that it's being released in Fall 2002. Which one is right?

Could you tell the fellas in the previews department to lighten up with the spoilers? Only some of the previews have warnings! I was angry after accidentally reading Mr. Vestal's FFX preview, which told us everything that happened at the beginning of the game. (They came by surprise; I would have stopped reading if there were at least some hints about upcoming spoilers. Just laying my eyes on the sentence for one second causes me to read it.)

-Anonymous


Yeah, the combination is absolutely mind-boggling. But it looks kind of cool at the same time. From what we've heard it won't be released until next year. The release date you're seeing is for the Japanese version. I would be glad to pass the word along to our previews guys about spoilers except they're busy capturing the ending of Final Fantasy X for publish tomorrow.

Just Another Dreamcast?

In the recent edition of The Spot you stated that the editors of GameSpot are afraid that the Xbox is just another Dreamcast. I'd like to know how is this remotely possible? You are right about the mascot...Xbox doesn't have one. But what about the exclusive games? Dead or Alive 3 is the main reason that I will purchase an Xbox. It also has two to three times the third party support that the Dreamcast had, and Microsoft has the cash to back it up in the marketing region. So please clear this up for me: Why are you and GameSpot worried that the Xbox may be another Dreamcast?

-Scaff


I've never even mentioned the fact that the Xbox doesn't have a mascot. Having a mascot doesn't mean jack if you can't back it up with good games. We're afraid that the Xbox won't sell in Japan but will be the console of choice among hard-core gamers in the US the way the Dreamcast was. But if you read my last response to this topic, you'll see that I stated that we don't know what $500 million in marketing can do. It's just a feeling we have, and several developers have mentioned the same concerns.

The Player's Dilemma

Shane aka (hardcore bada$$),

All the hype about Metal Gear Solid 2 is really taking its toll on me. The original was and is one of my all-time favorites. However, my love for all things Nintendo and a shallow wallet leave me at a frustrating crossroads. I could buy a PS2 now, get MGS2 in November, and die happy after a month. I could also not buy a PS2 and MGS2 (shudder) by opting for the GameCube and patiently waiting a while for Metroid, Zelda, etc. It's the damn high costs of college tuition [that's] preventing me from total bliss this November, and there's nothing to be done. So, my problem got me thinking. Hideo Kojima said that MGS2 on a Nintendo console would be "ridiculous." Why?! The number one kiddie game system of all time, the GBC, had a version! Why not the GameCube? He contradicts himself quite a bit, if anyone would stop googling for a second and pay attention. Also, in light of Nintendo farming out Zelda to Capcom, how slim are the chances of Konami ever letting Nintendo to do their own version of MGS for the GameCube? Could you imagine Miyamoto doing MGS?! I know it's not likely but something to kick around.

P.S. No I'm not asking you for your opinion, I'm just b****in'; and yes I do have a job.

-Nicholas Drechsel
nicholas_drex@hotmail.com


Ha! You had me at hard-core bada$$. There's no way in hades that Miyamoto will design a Metal Gear Solid Game regardless of the fact that Capcom made a couple of Game Boy Color games for Nintendo. Good luck with your decision, by the way. It's a tough one to make.

Retro Sega

Hi! I am particularly excited about Sega developing for all three major platforms, being one of the many who was hypnotized by the marketing division at Nintendo (I'm talking about the Nintendo Power Dragon Warrior promotion) and as a result, never owned a Sega system. I have a few questions about that Sega company and the games I've never played:

1. How much of a chance do I have of seeing older Dreamcast games on any other console? I'm particularly interested in the original Jet Grind Radio, Skies of Arcadia, the first Sonic Adventure (and the sequel, though it's been released!)--and that Ecco game, which I can't remember the name of.

2. How much of a chance do I have of seeing even older Sega games on any system (including GBC and GBA!) Please Sega! I want to play Panzer Dragoon Saga and Phantasy Star II on my PlayStation!

3. As I was walking through our local computer store, I saw a copy of the Sega Smash Pack (missing Virtual Cop 2 and Sega Swirl) for the PC, courtesy of Expert software. I would have purchased it, but I know Sega did a lousy of job of emulating the games contained in the Dreamcast Smash Pack. Is it the same story with this Smash Pack or not?

-Nicholas


I don't know about the original Jet Grind or Sonic Adventure games, but you'll see others like Crazy Taxi and Space Channel 5. It sure would be great if Sega released Skies of Arcadia and Samba de Amigo on other consoles so that more people could experience them. Sega is already making an old-school Sonic game for the Game Boy Advance, so I'd imagine we'll see more in the future. As for Panzer Dragoon Saga, keep on dreaming my friend. At least Sega is making a sequel for the Xbox. If you have a Dreamcast, pick up the Smash Pack for it instead.

More Final Fantasies

First off, I love your site. I visit it twice daily. I don't remember where or who I heard this from, but I heard that they're making remakes of FF7, 8, and 9 for the PS2. Can you tell me if this is true or not? What would Final Fantasy VII be like with great graphics and the excellent storyline that millions of people today still can't go a day without thinking about it? Look forward to your response and keep up the good work.

-Bob


Yes, it's true. All three PlayStation Final Fantasy games you listed will be coming to the PS2 in enhanced form. I would imagine they will include improved in-game character models and clearer backgrounds but little else. But we still do not know for sure so stay tuned.

PS2 saves on PS Cards

Hi. I love your site.

Someone asked about the PS games being saved on PS2 memory cards. The truth is that you can't save to them but can transfer PS files onto PS2 memory cards and put them there for storage. You have to do this through the PS2 memory card management menu thing.

I love video games in general and will probably own many of them before I die. The only problem is that a lot of games come out in Japan before they come out in America, and I was thinking: If I learn Japanese, I can play Japanese games (on Japanese consoles, unless it's a GBA or adapter issue, I won't use mod chips). The only problem is that I don't want to wait until college to learn Japanese (I'm a sophomore in high school), and all I really need to know is how to read and translate it (most games have a subtitle option). I understand the basis of katakana, but when things are translated into English, it's questionable as to what they mean. My question is, what [script] (of the three different Japanese [scripts]) are most games in? I know that some text in booklets and stuff is katakana, but what about the games?

Thank you,

-L11mbm


Thanks for the tip on the memory cards and for everyone else who sent the tip in. The most popular form of Japanese script used in video games is katakana so you're on the right track. Learning katakana is also much easier than learning kanji so this should be good news to your ears!

Superior Sound

You guys have a terrific site. I have two questions concerning the PS2 and Xbox. Which one do you think will have the better DVD player, and which one will have the better sound system for a home theater or surround sound setup?

Thanks,

-Jason


The Xbox wins hands down in the in-game sound department because it's capable of Dolby Digital in real time. But both can use Dolby Digital when watching movies. We haven't watched any DVD movies on the Xbox, but both systems should be equal in that regard.

PS2 is Trash?

Hey guys! First let me say that I love your site--the GameSpot Live feature and all the forums and everything. You guys simply have the best video game site out there. Keep up the good work. Now I have a question/comment. I am starting to notice a very disturbing trend. People and developers seem generally uninterested in the PS2 now that the Xbox and GameCube are coming out. Now this is supposed to be a great time to be a gamer and game maker with three great systems to choose from, but all people talk about are the specs on the Xbox, and all developers talk about are the many flaws and bottlenecks of the PS2 hardware. Two years ago, the whole industry and world were amazed and excited about the ultrapowerful PS2 and the new era of entertainment it will bring. But now it seems like people think it's trash compared to the GameCube and Xbox. I know the hardware is difficult to develop for (that's one thing), but is it really weak? Everyone talks about how the differences in the three systems (power-wise) is marginal, but can the PS2 do GameCube and Xbox effects like bump mapping, anti-aliasing, specular highlighting, and high-res textures? Also, how many light sources can the PS2 handle at a time? Thanks.

-Tisideal82


I have several friends who I use as a barometer for the casual game player, and they are not into the PS2 because of its price. I was shocked when one of them said to me that he bought video game machines to play video games, not watch movies. It seemed to contrast what I hear from most of you. And believe me, this guy doesn't even read our site and thinks that he would be "getting into it too much" to look through magazines. Like it or not, these are the people who make or break console wars. The PS2 can't do most of the effects you listed effortlessly like the Cube and Box. Performing these effects means that sacrifices have to be made somewhere else in the graphics. But it's not about the effects; it's about the games. And the PS2 has plenty of those on the way. And no, the PS2 is not trash.

Why the War?

In your last letters column, you asked why everyone needed the most popular consoles to be the one they chose. The reason is that everyone is afraid of buying another Dreamcast. The Dreamcast lost the war, and a system that should have had five or six years of viability, with new games coming out and such, is now defunct after just about two years. Consoles are too expensive to buy just to have them supported for two years. That's why the current arguments are so heated. No one wants to be stuck with a system that dies before its time.

Also, do you have any information on Luigi's Mansion for the GameCube? All I have seen is shots of him sucking up ghosts. Is this the whole game? Thanks for answering if you can.

-Casey Dodd


The best hardware doesn't necessarily win a console war. In this case, we wouldn't have been able to help you, anyway. We picked the Dreamcast in our System Wars feature for almost a year straight. So, like I said, why listen to us? Still no new information on Luigi's Mansion, but if the entire game is ghost bustin' I'm going to be one unhappy camper. We do know that you will eventually be able to shoot water, but we're not sure what it will be used for.

Developers Really Happy?

Shane,

Just wanted to point something out that you stated a few weeks back. You stated that the developers are constantly whining about programming the PlayStation 2. I find this contradictory to a report I read a few months back saying that 90 percent of developers feel the PS2 is the system they feel will dominate this generation. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me.

Or perhaps this is something you don't want to talk about?

Sincerely,

-Shameless Blackley


Just because developers think the PS2 is hard to develop for doesn't mean they won't continue making games for it. Regardless of whether anyone wants to admit it, it's all about making money. If publishers and developers think their game will sell more briskly on the PS2, then they'll spend an extra few months developing it for that platform. I haven't talked to a single developer that actually liked working on the PlayStation 2 hardware, but I haven't talked to a single publisher that said it was scaling back its number of PS2 releases, either.

Cube Times Three

Yo dawgs.

I'm a huge fan of your site and EGM mag (my dream is to be a member of the Review Crew someday). I've got some questions about GameCube games.

1. I've recently seen a picture of the character select screen for Super Smash Brothers Melee. Are there going to be more than 10 characters? And what about the rumor that Sonic was going to be in the game?

2. Is Universal Theme Park Creation going to be a game in the style of Sim Theme Park (riding your rides and stuff)? Also, the backgrounds look prerendered. What's up with that? Any details on gameplay would be cool, too.

3. How much a$$ will Star Fox: Dinosaur Planet kick?

Thanks man.

-Tai Mai Tsu


If you're going to read a gaming mag, you can't get much better than EGM. So I commend you on your periodical of choice. There will be well over 10 characters in Super Smash Brothers Melee, but Sonic won't be one of them. If you want to find Sonic on the GameCube, you'll probably have better results looking in Virtua Striker. You hit Theme Park Creation right on the head. I don't know why there are prerendered backgrounds, but it's likely because it's easier than getting a polygonal engine up and running. I was skeptical of Star Fox Adventures after E3 because it seemed so early, but recently I've been warming up to the game. It's a blatant Zelda rip-off, but if anyone's entitled to do such a thing it's a Nintendo-backed company like Rare.

Xbox to Cure Online Woes?

How do you guys feel about online games on the console as opposed to the PC? I have to say that I have played both and think I prefer the console online play better. Because you do not have to deal with the third-shift help-desk guy sitting on a T3 line completely destroying everybody in Facing Worlds. I cannot wait to get my Xbox because it's going to be a level playing field. Speaking of the Xbox, is it me or are the GameCube's graphics looking better than the Xbox's? I'm sure this is only temporary. I will be getting both systems anyway! Good site guys!

-Andre


I agree with you that playing on a slow connection will always limit your abilities in online action games, but I don't see the Xbox eliminating it altogether. Some broadband connections are still better than others. I don't agree that the GameCube has superior graphics when compared with the Xbox. The best-looking console game I've seen (Rogue Leader) is on the GameCube. But on the whole, the Xbox seems to have a slight edge as far as graphics are concerned. Some third-party GameCube games have looked fairly poor (Rune), while most third-party Xbox games are at least passable. First-party games are basically on equal footing from what I've seen thus far.

Loading...

Hello,

I nabbed a PS2 way back in November (in a freak Funco accident). I've noticed the blue discs (non DVD-ROM) take a long time to load and can make strange noises. I've seen the comment you made about the ring carved into Ridge Racer V. This is a game I've noticed making the noise constantly. The MGS2 demo acts strangely now and again...and sometimes takes an insano amount of time to load. Do all of the PlayStations 2s have this problem (strange noises/ring carving ability), or just the early ones? A friend tells me that his new PlayStation 2 takes a long time with the blue discs as well. What advantage does this media have? Neither of us has noticed the rings yet...are they inevitable?

Also, please tell me the finished version of MGS2 will be DVD-ROM. Oh...What system will have the best version of XG3? A guess will be fine if no one knows for sure.

Thanks,

-scooter baga


The rings were carved into our Ridge Racer V disc by a Japanese PS2 unit standing on end. We haven't had any problems since, but we don't normally play our PS2s standing up any longer, either. If you play your PlayStation 2 laying flat you should be fine. As far as my experiences are concerned, the load times found in the majority of PS2 games are awful. I thought I was going to throw Rune out the window at one point. It seems like a general problem to me--not just a problem associated with whether games are stored on DVDs or CDs. To be fair, the loading times in some PS2 games are actually quite good, but this isn't the norm. The noise you're talking about is also normal for the PlayStation 2. That baby really hums when you're watching movies. I have yet to figure out what sort of advantage the DVD media has over CDs other than the ability to store an entire digitized movie. Someone wrote in stating that you won't have to change discs, but popping out a disc after 20 hours of gameplay doesn't seem like much of a chore to me.

Xbox Frame Rates

Hi, love your site. I was reading your Xbox Dossier just right now and had a question in mind. It said that the most disappointing part about the Xbox is the frame rates of its games. Is it as bad as it sounds, or is it just kinda choppy? Did you have any problems with this? Is Sonic Adventure 2 better than the first one? Do you think Turok, Sonic, or Resident Evil will ever appear on the Xbox? Thanks a bunch!

-Anonymous


The frame rates in most first-party Xbox games at E3 were very choppy, but Microsoft claimed that they weren't running on final hardware. From what I've been told, Microsoft was telling the truth. But at the same time, many developers working on Xbox launch games aren't expecting to really take advantage of the hardware until the next round of games, because this first set of games were developed on the underpowered kits. Sonic Adventure 2 is better in some ways but worse in others. The story stinks, the graphics are amazing, and there isn't enough of Sonic's signature gameplay. I would say yes to Turok and Resident Evil on the Xbox, but we're not so sure about Sonic yet.

Earthbound Grounded?

Hi there. I love old classic RPGs and other classic games. I especially love Earthbound. I think there was supposed to be an Earthbound 64, but I don't think it was released. So I was wondering will there be another Earthbound for the GameCube?

I know that Ness makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Brothers Melee.

-Don PlumR


Earthbound 64 was canceled several months ago after being in development for more than four years. I would imagine that you haven't seen the last of it, though. Considering Animal Forest is coming from the Nintendo 64 to the GameCube it's highly likely that a recognizable property like Earthbound will eventually make the trip as well.

Final Fantasy Advanced

I was wondering if Square has any plans to release Final Fantasy I, II, and III for the GBA or GBC? And I heard that Final Fantasy X will be released here in February of 2002. Do you know if this is true or not? Thanks and keep up the good work!

-Gabriel


If we're to believe what we read, Square will release games on the Game Boy Advance over Hiroshi Yamauchi's dead body. Literally. There's no way Nintendo will let Square make GBA games unless it also makes games for the GameCube, and that might cause some problems with Square's lucrative association with PlayStation consoles. February sounds about right for Final Fantasy X.

More PS2 Pricing

I wanted some clarification on a couple of responses I read on your site. You stated that a PS2 price drop wouldn't happen until 2002. I have been told to expect at least a $50 drop before the GameCube and Xbox launches in November and possibly another $50 by December. Have you heard anything counter to that? The second question I have is why wouldn't Rogue Leader be a good-looking PS2 game compared to the GameCube and possibly Xbox versions? Thanks for answering!

-Jonathan Boudreaux
Atlanta, GA


This is the last time I'm going to explain why Sony won't drop the price of the PS2. It doesn't need to. The PlayStation 2 will sell at $299 because of its excellent lineup of upcoming games. As for Rogue Leader, the PlayStation 2 can't push as many polygons or effects as the GameCube and Xbox so you'll lose some detail. Rogue Leader on the PS2 would also likely lose the bump mapping and extensive lighting that make the game so believable. Just look at Starfighter for the PS2 for the differences. The high-resolution textures would likely be a problem as well.

Screen Border Glitch

Every time I play my PS2, there seems to be a black bar on the right side of my TV screen. I thought it was my TV, so I hooked it up to another TV, and it did the same thing. The black bar doesn't take up a lot of space on my TV screen, but it really annoys me. I thought of getting new hookup wires. Do you think that would be a good idea?

-william


Sounds like your little brother changed the display setting in the PS2 front-end to a resolution your TV does not support. New wires will not fix the problem but setting it to the correct display should. If that doesn't fix it, it might be a problem with your televisions if they're older.


Before I go I'd just like to mention that Microsoft's Seamus Blackley brought DOA 3 for the Xbox in here today and in the process dispelled many of the myths and false reports that other sites have perpetrated. The Xbox controller is final and will not be redesigned. The Xbox will also ship with an 8GB hard drive despite what the "editors in chief" of several Xbox fansites tried to tell me, and the Xbox is not shipping early. It will ship on November 8 as planned. That's it for today, crew. We'll see you again on Friday.


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